Impact of home-based respite care on families of children with chronic illnesses.

The recent dramatic medical and technological advances have meant that many children, who would have died previously of their chronic illnesses, now survive and live longer with their families. The purpose of this undertaking was to evaluate whether the implementation of home-based pediatric respite care reduced stress and improved the quality of life for families caring for children with chronic illnesses. Utilization of respite services was associated with a statistically significant (p < .05) reduction in somatic complaints by primary caregivers. There was also a trend in the data suggestive of an association between respite utilization and a subsequent decrease in the number of hospitalization days required by children (p < .07). Public health policy implications of the intervention are discussed.